Apply to Chicago Apartment Waiting Lists

Langston

654 E 43rd St
Chicago, Illinois

Martha Washington Apartments

2324 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago, Illinois
Affordable

Good News Partners

1600 West Jonquil Terrace
Chicago, Illinois
$450-725
Studio-1 BR

Homan Square Rentals Phase IV

3607 S. Polk Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Affordable

Levy House

1221 W. Sherwin
Chicago, Illinois

Lake Park Crescent - Phase I Rental

1161 S 41st St Pl
Chicago, Illinois
Affordable

Lake Park Crescent Assoc

40th To 42nd Pl Lake Park Crescant 4001 7 29
Chicago, Illinois
Affordable

Homan Square Phase IV Rental

906 S Central Park Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Affordable

Harper Square

4800 S Lake Park Ave
Chicago, Illinois
Affordable

Robert Taylor Homes, Phase a - 1

State Root Federal And
Chicago, Illinois
Affordable

There are 29,014 low-income apartments in Chicago that offer reduced rents to eligible households. Low-income rents in Chicago, Illinois can range from $716 to $2,525 depending on the number of bedrooms.

Rental assistance programs support 58,265 low-income homes in Chicago where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2023, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $350 towards rent each month.

Showing Results 751-760

Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on March 9th, 2023. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Chicago, Illinois

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Housing Authority Programs
Chicago Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Moving to Work; Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)
Go to the Illinois Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Chicago, Illinois

Chicago features 58,265 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in Chicago, Illinois

There are 29,014 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Chicago.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Chicago, Illinois

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Chicago landlords $900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Chicago.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Chicago, Illinois for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,296 and $1,584.

2023 Chicago, Illinois Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Studio One BR Two BR Three BR Four BR
Chicago, Illinois Fair Market Rent $1,158 $1,255 $1,440 $1,827 $2,172
Chicago, Illinois Payment Standard Range $1,042 to $1,274 $1,130 to $1,381 $1,296 to $1,584 $1,644 to $2,010 $1,955 to $2,389

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Chicago, IL Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 764
Total Low Income Apartments 88,138
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 58,265
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 55.71%
Average Renter Household Size 2.41
Average Household Size 2.57
Median Household Income $48,522 ±$405
Median Rent $965 ±$4
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 49.18% ± 0.56pp
Total Population 2,717,534

Population and Household Demographics

Chicago is a city in Cook County, Illinois with a population of 2,717,534. There are 1,035,436 households in the city with an average household size of 2.57 persons. 55.71% of households in Chicago are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Chicago

The median gross income for households in Chicago is $48,522 a year, or $4,044 a month. The median rent for the city is $965 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Chicago, a household making less than $3,217 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 49.18% of households who rent are overburdened in Chicago.

Area Median Income In Chicago

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Chicago, the AMI is calculated from all households within Cook County.

In Chicago, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $107,800

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Chicago

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Chicago

1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Person 8 Person
30% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 30% of the Chicago AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.
$21,900 $25,000 $28,150 $31,250 $33,750 $37,190 $41,910 $46,630
50% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 50% of the Chicago AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.
$36,500 $41,700 $46,900 $52,100 $56,300 $60,450 $64,650 $68,800
80% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 80% of the Chicago AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.
$58,350 $66,700 $75,050 $83,350 $90,050 $96,700 $103,400 $110,050